Dangerous
by BelovedSlayer
Summary: No one said a relationship between a vampire and a Slayer would be easy. Buffy is about to find out the hard way when a sire kidnaps him to be raised as the evil Scourge of Europe, putting their love and the future of the world in serious danger. Originally titled Night's Child.
1. Loss

Author's Note: I reread the first chapter of Night's Child (the original title of this story) and felt it needed some revisions so I decided to re post it new and improved. It's all AU. Enjoy!

At someplace unknown, a grandfather clock chimed.

Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

The stroke of midnight was telling her that she should had been asleep, lost in some dream. But tossing and turning had taken its place, leaving her disgruntled and mumbling curses.

Shaking the last remnants of unconsciousness, she found herself barefoot near the entrance of a forest, somewhere near the Sunnydale city limits.

The layered skirt of a white lace dress ruffled softly around her. A breeze was picking up strength. Everything else was quiet until she picked up the sound of a soft mewling reverberating from the dark woods.

The voice was male, and it was young. Just a child from what she could guess.

She grimaced and a deep chill ran through her bones. _What if he's in trouble? _

Without pause she gives chase, maintaining her balance while overstepping moss covered logs and an uphill of branches.

Blisters and cuts gathered on her feet but she pushed herself to move forward.

Blond hair whipped around her crimson soaked cheeks.

Something, or someone, was coming after him. And as if on cue, a harsh growling skittered through the night.

_Vampire, _she assumed. Instinctively, she reached for a stake, but found there was none. In quick precision, she tore a branch from the closest redwood, leaping and dodging along a narrowed pathway that lead to the heart of the forest.

An owl hoots from afar, letting her know that she wasn't alone in her journey. The air grew colder and denser; a few shadows thickened as she reached the center.

_Hold on kid. Help's on the way. _

Though she wasn't the religious type, she sent a silent prayer to the universe.

A sliver of moonlight was the sole luminance guiding her way.

Wet traces of mud and leaves wedged between her toes, trying to slow her down, but she was too close to her destination. Blood and adrenaline pumped through her body as she expanded her lungs for an breath of air.

Another vampiric growl followed, warning her that he or she were closing in.

She quickened her pace, somersaulting over a tiny stream of contaminated water.

"That vampire is dead,"she snarled at no one.

Another leap or two and she ventured into a small clearing that seemed to be empty of inhabitants. She skidded to a stop, Slayer senses on dangerously high alert. She wrapped her hand around the branch tightly, surveying the surroundings, willing her body to stay still.

A minute later, she picked up a sound; a low cry from behind a boulder that stood to her left. A boy, about nine, ducked to a similar one, tears and dirt matting his face.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm here to help." The Slayer tried to soothe her voice, placing the branch near her left foot. She took a step forward but made sure to keep enough distance between them.

"That was what that weird looking lady said. But she lied. She tried to hurt me." The boy stifled a cry, not willing to show himself.

"Where is she?"

"I…don't… know," he shuddered. "She ran away when she heard you coming. She had fangs. I got scared that she was gonna bite me."

"How did you get here?" the Slayer asked. She picked up the branch once more and snapped it in half. Two weapons made a better defense than one.

"I got lost. I was here with my family. We were on a picnic. They liked coming here at night because they liked the peace and quiet. But then we heard noises. It sounded like monsters howling. We went in different directions because it was too dark to see in front of us. I tried looking for them. When I did, I saw the lady biting them, so I ran and hide. When I tried to run some more, she came after me. She wanted to take me with her and I didn't want to. I tried to hit her when she got too close." The crying resumed. The hiccups and spasms joined not long after.

Buffy kneeled beside him, wrapping his lukewarm body against her. His thin arms circled around her waist, as if holding on to dear life. She barely noticed his hair resembling a rich brown hue, his skin a light olive complexion. Familiar traits she'd sword she had seen before. But it didn't matter.

"I'm gonna get you out of here, okay? I won't let that lady hurt you. I promise. Just hold on tight and don't let go no matter what." The boy nodded weakly against her, digging his fingers into her shoulders.

Another growl rose and forced the Slayer to take immediate action. "We better get going. She's coming."

They veered towards a direction where an ancient cemetery awaited, hoping to confuse the vampire into believing they had taken a path opposite to the one the Slayer had came in earlier.

_Thump. Thump. Thump. _Her heart took on a hard pounding rhythm as she sprinted over broken tombstones and tattered vines.

"We're almost there," she murmured to him. "Just hold on." Another growl made her body jump. The vampire was beyond pissed. It was like a hungry wolf that hadn't fed in a week.

_Like that's any surprising. _

Panic rose. A trickle of sweat ran down the Slayer's cheek while bile shot up in her throat.

_Come on, damnit. Come on. _

"I can see her. She's coming!" the boy shouted, digging his face against the crook of her neck. She stumbled over a branch, her knees almost buckling but managed to keep hold of him and their lead in the last minute.

In spite of the night and its shadows, she could make out the outline of the parking lot ahead of them. A jolt of determination coursed through her.

"Are we almost there?" A muffled question from her neck.

"Almost. Just a few more steps…" Buffy trailed off.

They finally reached the lot, and relief swept over her.

It wouldn't last.

Somehow, the vampire had caught on and pulled the boy free from her hold. A sinister laugh echoed, making the Slayer's stomach churn. It was female, and it was more than familiar.

"You didn't think I'd let you get away with him, did you?" That female voice sneered.

Anger exploded in the Slayer's eyes. She'd recognized that voice anywhere.

Darla.

"Let go of me!" the boy called out, trying to scratch at Darla's hand, which held on to his waist.

"What do you want with him?"

Darla grinned, flashing delicate fang points.

"You'd think I'd tell you that? Not a chance."

Buffy charged recklessly towards her, using the broken branch pieces as leverage. Darla vanished before she could strike, he laughter blanketing the forest along with the boy's wailing.

The sound would haunt her for many nights.

"Damnit!" she slammed a fist onto the concrete pavement, her heart plummeting to her stomach.

She cursed not only because of Darla stealing the boy away from her, but looking at his face for the first time, she knew she had seen it before, and the realization tore her world apart.

It was Angel.


	2. The Return

Three months later..

"Honey, you have to eat. You're skin and bones," a concerned Joyce Summers pressed, her forehead and brows knitting together with a frown that has become second nature to her. Skimming her plate of food, Buffy answered with a weary sigh. Bags drooped under her dull eyes and sleep, nowadays, alluded her.

Nightmares had become her dream world and the guilt of losing Angel had attached to her like a second skin. It wracked at her mind, never offering a moment's peace.

She remained quiet, refusing to meet her mother's eyes.

"You're covered in bruises and cuts. _Again._ You haven't slept in months, and almost every night I'm washing blood off your clothes. What's going on? Do you feel you need to talk to someone?" Joyce continued, folding her hands over the dining table.

"I'll be fine Mom. It's no biggie," Buffy casually replied. Her movements were robotic, sullen.

"To hell you are! Does this have anything to do with the boy you've been seeing? Angel, is it? If it does, I want you to stop seeing him."

It took the mere mention of his name to get the Slayer's full attention.

Her eyes narrowed to slits but she struggled to let a word out.

"Well, are you going to answer or do I have to make a phone call to your father?" Joyce rose to her feet, her mouth thinning into a straight line.

The heart of the young Slayer sped dramatically. How could she tell her what was really going on? How could she tell her about the nightmares? That no matter where she'd go, the ghost of Angel would be there, thickening the guilt, mocking her? And the endless nights after the encounter with Darla, she'd spent stalking the streets of Sunnydale in her desperate attempt to find him? How could she admit that to her mother?

She could feel the emotional wall on the brink of falling, the corners of her eyes filling itself with tears. Her mother would never understand.

"I can't tell you…" Buffy began, her eyes focusing above her mother's head.

"And why not? I'm your mother. I'll _make_ you tell me."

Buffy was about to intervene when she noticed a shadow speeding past the dining room window. She rose to her feet, frantically tossing the unused napkin on the table.

"Where do you think you're going?" Joyce called out.

"I saw something. Mom, stay here and lock the door until I get back," Buffy ordered, reaching for a stake she had kept hidden under her jean leg.

"You are _not _going out there."

This time, Buffy looked her mother in the eye, her voice full of steel. "Yes, I am. Like I said, stay here. If you want to ground me Mom, do it when I get back. But I have to check this out."

Venturing into the porch and to a brisk night, the pulse in Buffy's ears grew loud, her senses on maximum alert. Whatever that shadow was, she knew someone was there. Her heart began to race.

"I don't have time for games. Show yourself." Her patience was dangerously low.

No one answered.

Clambering down the porch steps, she studied her surroundings. A streetlamp in front of the house flickered on and off, wanting to burst.

Everything remained still except for the rustling of a single newspaper.

"Okay, fine. If you want to play it that way…" It was at that exact moment she felt a familiar tingle in her stomach hitting her with a force she hadn't felt in months. She keeled over, as if she couldn't breathe. An invisible weight stood against her.

_Angel? _

"Where are you?" she managed to call out. The tingle was hitting her at all various directions, but striking her in the most vulnerable part of her body: her heart. Along with the pain the memories of Angel's disappearance came in a full frontal attack in her mind, sending her reeling until she fell on her back.

"You_ left_ me. You didn't save me. How could you let her take me away?" a young male voice, full of anger, snarled at her.

"Angel…" Buffy murmured, bright yellow spots blinding against her eyes. She couldn't sense where he was. His voice was everywhere and nowhere at once.

"Don't even bother calling me by my name anymore. You don't deserve it. I'm not Angel nor _your_ Angel anymore. _She_ says my real name is Angelus, and that I'm meant to rule by her side and drink blood whenever I want to."

"No, Angel, you can't believe her. She's lying to you. She's using you." Spitting blood from her mouth, the Slayer leaned against the steps for support. Angel was nowhere to be found but she was able to hear his words, his accusations.

It was as if a thousand daggers were stabbing at her heart simultaneously.

"Lies! How do I know you're not lying to me? That you're not trying to manipulate me?" He was on the verge of tears, she concluded. A piece of humanity remained in him. At least, that was what she had suspected.

There was some hope.

"Because I _know_ you. I know who you are. You're the good man that I fell in love with. You were making amends, atoning for your sins. How could you think I was lying to you? I'd never do that to you. You have to believe me. You're still the one freaky thing in my freaky world that makes sense to me." Buffy felt absolute conviction in her voice. If she couldn't convince Angel what she felt, all was lost. She wouldn't lose him to his sire.

The night suddenly fell quiet again. She didn't know what terrified her: feeling vulnerable against that voice that was neither child or adult, that felt she betrayed him, or that he would surprise her from out of the shadows and hurt her. She couldn't take the chance that her words will fall through. He was still vulnerable.

With the support of the steps, she rose to her feet, regaining a firm grip on the stake.

"Dammit Angel, please, you have to believe me. I love you."

The shadow appeared before her and under the flickering light of the streetlamp, the delicate, small boned face of Angel came into light. Red radiated in his eyes, and she saw fangs growing to thin needle points.

Whatever happened to him, it was obvious that the mental damage Darla had inflicted was done. For a moment, they stared at each other, not looking away. Buffy could feel her own eyes stinging once again.

"What did she do to you?"

Little Angelus smiled an evil grin. "Making me what I was meant to be. Oh, and remember this? I don't need it anymore."

Something silver glistened and fell before her feet.

His claddagh ring.

"But I do need one thing…your blood."

Everything happened in a fluid motion, much too fast for Buffy to adjust and soon, she felt Angel's body diving for her neck, his small fingers digging into her shoulders.

How could she bring herself to fight and kill someone she loved?

**Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. I hope this story is turning out the way I want it to be. Sorry for the late update. School is over so I'm hoping I'll be able to work and update on this story over the summer. **


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